Nearly three months after being defeated at the Erie Insurance Arena, the Sudbury Wolves welcomed the Erie Otters for their long-awaited rematch and final pairing of the regular season.
The evening included the Wolves' annual Teddy Bear Toss, which succeeded in collecting 1,600 stuffed animals for the TD Toy Bank and Salvation Army.
Friday's match got off to a rocky start, forcing the pack to play catchup for the remainder of the game, ending with a three-point performance in the final frame.
This lead would ultimately prove much for the pack to overcome, resulting in a 7-4 final that put an end to the team's five-game streak.
Wolves' rookie Chase Stillman was named third star in the matchup behind Erie's Connor Lockhart and Jack Duff.
Elias Cohen opened up the game for Erie with his first goal of the season at 1:33. He was followed to the net a little less than five minutes later by teammate Hayden Fowler, bringing the Otter's lead to two.
Chad Yetman delivered one more goal for Erie at 17:19 with assistance from Lockhart and Fowler, before Sudbury found an opportunity to break up the run.
Wolves' Shane Bulitka got Sudbury on the scoreboard with a shorthanded goal at 18:54, with help from Macauley Carson and Adam Samuelsson.
Erie moved into the second period up by two, after outshooting their hosts 10-8 in the first 20 minutes.
Kurtis Henry was first to net in the second period, pushing Erie's lead to three with his sixth goal of the season on a power play at 0:14.
The Otters delivered two more goals in the period, the first by Daniel D'Amato at 4:21 and the second by Cameron Morton at 7:16 before a different form of action broke out on the ice.
Erie was first to the penalty box for holding and roughing but followed shortly thereafter by Sudbury for slashing and cross-checking. Both teams got called for a fight a little while later, bringing Sudbury's total time spent behind glass in the period to 9 while Erie suffered 11.
The Wolves moved into the final frame down by five, with shots on goal in the period 11-10 in their favour.
Peter Stratis opened up the period for Sudbury with his second goal of the season at 6:44, with assistance from Carson and Emmett Serensits. Carson returned to the net a little under five minutes later to deliver one of his own during a power play, alongside teammates Isaak Phillips and Owen Robinson.
Seasoned veteran David Levin used this same power play to deliver his 17th goal of the season at 12:10, shortening the Wolves' deficit to two. He was assisted in the move by Kalle Loponen and Murray.
The pack was held at a stand-still for the remainder of the game despite several shots at the net of Erie goaltender Daniel Murphy.
Henry delivered the Otters' final goal on the empty net of the Wolves at 19:21, ending the match at a 7-4 final.
Sudbury outshot their visitors 14-4 in the final frame and 33-24 over the 60-minute affair.
